Strategic Partners
As a Hampton Roads community and a gateway to the number one state to do business, the City of Portsmouth maintains a number of partnerships to drive business in the city, the region and the commonwealth. These partnerships are key for incentives, public policy, relationship management, recruitment, and more.
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VEDP
VEDP is the state development arm created by the General Assembly to encourage, stimulate, and support the development and expansion of the Commonwealth's economy.
- Encourage exports of Virginia’s products and services
- Assist in formulating Virginia’s economic development strategies
- Administer state-level incentive programs
- Over 20 different incentive and grant programs
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The Alliance
The Alliance are our regional development partners that help facilitate:
- Targeted marketing and promotion of the Hampton Roads region to investors and companies, including travel opportunities
- Act as an intermediary point of contact and liaison for companies and coordinators
- Ongoing partnerships between inward and local companies
- Policy advocacy towards cities, region and Commonwealth government authorities
- The Alliance represents 11 Hampton Roads localities; 9 cities and 2 counties
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Port of Virginia
Portsmouth is home to two of the Port of Virginia’s facilities, Virginia International Gateway (VIG) and Portsmouth Marine Terminal. The Port is a large partner of the City’s and helps to drive the maritime & logistics industry forward through continual advancement and investment.
- In 2018, the Port of Virginia saw 2.85 million TEUs
- In 2019, they completed a $320 million expansion of VIG which now features the largest cranes on the East Coast
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Bloom Coworking
Bloom is a nonprofit coworking space where entrepreneurs, small teams, and remote workers can rent a variety of office spaces. Bloom is in downtown Portsmouth and was founded by the Portsmouth Partnership.
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VEC - Rapid Response Services
VEC is the public employment service established to assist employers in finding qualified workers and to assist workers in finding suitable jobs.
- Rapid Response is a pro-active, business-focused, and flexible strategy designed to respond to layoffs and plant closings by quickly coordinating services and providing immediate aid to companies and their affected workers.
- Response teams will work with employers and any employee representative(s) to quickly maximize public and private resources to minimize disruptions associated with job loss.